Chapter 26
Yang Ye put the scroll away, tied it up with the red string he had just used, and patted the scroll and the cabinet in front of him, saying, "Take it out."
"Is it still in the yard?" Zhou Yiheng asked.
"Yes, clean out this room today and tomorrow, and then the one next door the day after tomorrow."
Seeing the cabinets in the room that had not been moved yet, and that looked higher than the cabinets, they should be screens made of solid wood, "Boss, I am now sure that you really run a grocery store."
"Stop talking nonsense and move quickly," Yang Ye said, and she started to get busy again.
The locked box was heavy, and no one knew what was inside. But when Yang Ye saw the blocked keyhole, she tutted her tongue, a flicker of helplessness and confusion in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed that doubt. After all, these were the things she had hidden away over the years, so there shouldn't be anything else that was not suitable for public display.
He first picked up the suitcase next to him, and then grabbed the small colorful porcelain cup on the old wooden box. When passing by the door, Yang Ye was not paying attention and tripped over the phonograph placed by the door.
She used her foot to move the gramophone to the side. With a few creaking sounds, it slid a few inches off the ground. The brass bell was also covered with a thick layer of dust. If Xue Shangyang were still alive and saw her treating his precious gramophone like this, he would probably yell at her again, explaining its origins and preciousness.
"Be careful, this box is quite heavy," she said to Zhou Yiheng who was moving the box in the yard.
Everywhere he looked was a mess. Everywhere he could walk was filled with stuff, so he had no choice but to temporarily place the box he had just carried out at the door and try to stack the scattered items in the yard, or take some of them inside first.
"I understand," Zhou Yiheng responded, but his hands did not stop moving.
The sunlight drew a unique dividing line between light and dark in the house and the yard, and they shuttled back and forth between this light and dark.
"Boss, do you still want these two cabinets?" Xiao Xiao cleaned a part of it, then stood up and asked the wooden box that had a chipped corner and the lid that couldn't be closed. "This box is already broken like this."
"This is the box where I used to keep my money and jewelry." Yang Ye walked over and looked at the wooden box that she hadn't seen for a long time. The worn corners seemed to be telling the story of the years of displacement they had experienced together.
Yang Ye touched the box and said, "If I wanted to buy a makeup box like this, I would have to discuss it with the shop owner in advance."
The walnut box is cleverly divided into many areas inside, with a foldable mirror in the middle and red velvet cloth next to it. The delicate touch has not changed even after so many years.
Xiao Xiao asked: "How much can be placed in these few small compartments?"
Yang Ye smiled, fumbling to press the small snaps at the corners of the lattice. He heard a crisp click, and then he pulled up the thick wooden board above, revealing the inner compartment. The interior of the hidden compartment was small, yet it was decorated with exceptional sophistication. The surroundings were lined with long-yellowed yet still soft satin, warm to the touch, with a hint of age.
"Put the silver dollars and yellow croaker in here, and some worthless jewelry on top. That way, even if someone wants to take you on a boat or train, they'll only take the things on top, and nothing on the bottom will be stolen."
"It's really hard for you, so many boxes," Xiao Xiao sighed. The things in the two rooms were not many, but they were also quite a lot. In such a turbulent era, these things might not be priceless, but from today's perspective, many of them are out of print or treasures that need to be collected.
"I have no choice," Yang Ye sighed.
"There were so many things going on back then, with wars going on here and refugees fleeing there. Boss, have you ever thought of leaving something behind in Beijing?"
"Those left behind were all taken away," Yang Ye said. "You know how many things were stolen from Beijing back then, and they can't be brought back. Although these things of mine aren't as valuable as the things in the garden, they are at least old and have a history. Besides, there's also my mother's dowry, my father, and the things my brothers left me. If these are gone, I'll be scolded when I see them again."
Yang Ye smiled and looked over the things placed in the yard one by one. Fortunately, they were all kept, nothing was missing, and nothing was lost.
"Of course, it's not that I didn't prepare anything. I carried the yellow croaker and light items with me, put the money in the bank, and kept some things in the temple. As for the valuables that I couldn't take with me, I asked a friend to take them away when he boarded the ship. When the war stops, I'll send them back after I've arranged everything here. I hid these heavy boxes, screens, porcelain vases and ornaments in the basement. You know what, the basements at that time were of really good quality, with cement bricks inside and out. The house above me was blown up by shells, but the basement was completely intact." Yang Ye said, blinking her eyes and exhaling silently, "It's a pity that many of the things in my house were not taken out."
Xiao Xiao asked: "Are those things important?"
"It's okay," Yang Ye's voice was overly brisk, as if he had just unloaded something heavy, and then he passed it over in one stroke, "It's just some little gadgets that Xue Shangyang bought for me before, and some gifts from friends. I put them all in a small wooden box. I originally planned to go down the mountain and go back to get them, but the alarm sounded, and I was dragged away by the adjutant. When I got back, the house had already been blown flat."
In fact, Yang Ye missed a lot. When the adjutant picked her up, he almost half-dragged and half-pulled her into the car. When she struggled to look back, she only saw the city of Beijing collapsing inch by inch into a gray silhouette.
When she returned, the war was almost over.
She stood in front of the nearly ruined house. The once familiar streets and alleys had changed beyond recognition. Bricks and rubble piled up like mountains, and charred wooden beams were inserted across the broken walls.
She stood there, and in a trance she could see her former shadow again.
The crabapple tree in the yard and the wind chimes under the eaves made a clear and pleasant sound. Xue Shangyang stood on the steps and waved at her with a smile, "Zhao Zhao, look what I brought you back. It's the lotus seed paste cake from your favorite shop on West Street."
"Boss, where should we put this box?" Zhou Yiheng brought out another dusty box.
Yang Ye temporarily closed the box in front of him, walked over and said, "Put it here first. How many things are there in the room?"
"There are still a few boxes left, but they seem a bit heavy. I think it will take two people to move them."
Yang Ye looked at the small yard, which was already filled with the things he had moved out. "Let's clean up what's here first, and leave the rest for tomorrow, otherwise there will be no place to walk."
The gradually warming sunlight shone unreservedly on the yard. It was almost noon and the light above was almost vertical. Seeing the ancient books that were about to be exposed to the sunlight, Yang Ye took the white towel hanging on the door handle. She walked over, squatted in front of the pile of books, quickly dusted off the surface, and placed them one by one on the cement floor covered with old newspapers.
Zhou Yiheng worked in front of the pile of boxes for a long time, sweat dripping down his forehead and soaking his clothes. He had just picked up the empty box in front of him when he heard Xiao Xiao say from behind, asking him to hand over the porcelain bottles he had on hand.
He paused in his lifting motion and slowly straightened up. Bending for so long had caused a brief, brief pain in his back. He wiped the sweat from his face and glanced around.
The porcelain vase is still cold, and no amount of sunlight can heat it up. The light green glaze has tiny cracks and a rough granular texture caused by time.
He turned around and placed a few porcelain bottles steadily within Xiao Xiao's reach.
I lifted the box at the bottom and put it next door where it didn't take up much space. Suddenly, a hard object fell from the bottom of the empty box.
There was a clang sound. Xiao Xiao paused while wiping his hands, raised his head and asked, "What's that sound?"
Zhou Yiheng said: "It's nothing, the interface inside must be broken and the drawer board fell to the ground."
Yang Ye said, "It's probably been left there for too long, and the wood underneath has gotten damp and cracked. See if you can still use it. If not, throw it in the trash can at the door."
"Hmm." Zhou Yiheng stretched out his hand and picked up the miscellaneous items on the side. The slightly worn rectangular iron box fell among the pile of copper and iron ornaments.
He opened the tin box to see if the contents were damaged.
It was a photo album about the size of a tin box, with a thick, tape-covered cover. On the front page was a slightly yellowed, black-and-white photo with a lace border. In the old, lace-trimmed photo, she was wearing a qipao, standing under the tree, slightly sideways. Even through the blurry image, she could see the hint of a smile on her lips, her eyes revealing tenderness and affection, as if she were gazing at the lover holding the camera across from her.
The next photo shows her with a group of friends, all wearing cheongsams and with slightly curled, semi-long hair. Standing in front of a building that resembles both a bell tower and a church, they lean on each other, arm in arm, their faces beaming with joy.
"There is a small cabinet for storing things. Where did you put it?" Yang Ye came over and asked.
Zhou Yiheng was still looking at the photos. Just as he was about to turn to the next page, the album was snatched away by Yang Ye.
"There's nothing to see." She quickly closed the album and hid it behind her in a hurry.
Zhou Yiheng didn't seem to notice the nervousness and fear that flashed across his face. He just asked, "Boss, that's you?"
Yang Ye pretended to be calm, "What's wrong?"
"She was quite pretty. How old were you then? Why were you dressed like that?"
Xiao Xiao cleaned a few porcelain bottles, stood up, and saw Yang Ye trying to hide her panic. She dropped the towel in her hand and came to her rescue. "Art photos are weird to begin with. Come on, let's move these in first and clean them up."
"Oh," Zhou Yiheng responded, as if he didn't take the matter to heart.
"You guys sort out the things you want to bring in first. I'll go see if the shelves in the room need to be cleaned." Yang Ye breathed a sigh of relief and walked quickly into the house with the photo album and the pile of ancient books she had just sorted out.
I walked too fast and my toes hit the trash can at the door when I entered.
Zhou Yi went over and moved the porcelain vase with Xiao Xiao, "What's wrong, boss?"
Xiao Xiao took a look and said, "Nothing, these two bottles are a pair."
At this moment, a crisp knock on the door came from the house, followed by a series of password presses and the sound of the door opening.
"I'm busy. I just came out of the supermarket. The fruits are fresh today, so I bought some for you to try." Liu Guoxing held up a few bags in his hand.
A stranger with gray hair came in with him.
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